Megan Crowhurst and Luke Hillenburg are participating in the Laps for Life challenge to raise awareness for youth mental health.

Megan Crowhurst and Luke Hillenberg are swimming 20km in laps throughout the month of March, to raise funds and awareness for youth mental health and suicide prevention.

The Laps for Life challenge is run by not-for-profit organisation Reach Out, which provides 24-hour online support to young people and families.

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Something which resonates with Ms Crowhurst.

"As a young child I had severe anxiety," she said.

"I'm just super passionate about mental health and wanting to make a difference."

One in three young Australians currently experience mental health difficulties, according to Reach Out.

Leading onto a bigger problem for young people, which is the lack of resources and access to professional support.

Ms Crowhurst said she was lucky to have a close family that supported her through the hard times, especially her brother Luke.

"My brother was a huge, huge support," she said.

"And he later on, in his adult, he too, ended up suffering from depression, which is another reason he is a huge advocate."

Working as a Student Learning Support teacher, Ms Crowhurst said she sees young people who are struggling with their mental health on a daily basis.

She said, not only do they not know how to express themselves, they also don't know how to access the services that are available to them.

"I don't think there is enough awareness out there. And I don't think they understand how they can access those services," she said.

"In my opinion intervention is key. If we can start teaching them the really early tools and coping mechanisms now and early, then they've got them to be able to build on for the rest of their lives."

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